91ST CONGRESS 1st Session

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SENATE

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REPORT No. 91-611

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATION BILL, 1970

DECEMBER 16, 1969.-Ordered to be printed

Filed, under authority of the order of the Senate of FEBRUARY 7, 1969

Mr. STENNIS, from the Committee on Appropriations
submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H.R. 14794]

The Committee on Appropriations, to which was referred the bill (H.R. 14794), making appropriations for the Department of Transportation for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1970, and for other purposes, report the same to the Senate with various amendments and present herewith information relative to the changes made:

The committee recommends an appropriation of $11,750,000, an increase of $250,000 over the House bill and $1,150,000 under the budget estimate.

The budget request contemplated the addition of 97 new positions; the House bill approved 15 for the office of hazardous materials (10) and the office of pipeline safety (5). The Department appealed for restoration of 50 of the 82 positions that were denied; the committee recommendation would provide 25. It is the sense of the committee that 15 of the 25 additional positions should be assigned to the office of the assistant secretary for environment and urban systems; the additional 10 for the assistant secretary for research and technology and the assistant secretary for policy and international affairs. The committee recommendation would provide a total of 586 positions as compared with the 561 allowed by the House.

For the past 2 years, language has been included that authorizes the Secretary to shift selected staff functions from the various administrations in the Department to the Office of the Secretary when he determines that they can more efficiently and effectively be performed there. Secretary Volpe informed the committee that he has identified after rather extensive study a number of activities which he believes should be centralized in the interests of improved management. These include all or significant portions of the functions of internal audit, congressional liaison, public information, and the investigation of formal complaints of employment discrimination. The committee has concluded that the Secretary should have some flexibility to organize his office, and accordingly should be allowed to shift these specific functions. The committee therefore is recommending that the authority be continued for 1 more year. The committee will not entertain any proposal to extend the language beyond the current year.

TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, RESEARCH, AND DEVELOPMENT

1969 appropriation

1970 estimate (H. Doc. 91-100). House allowance..

Committee recommendation___

$6, 000, 000

20, 000, 000

8, 000, 000

14, 000, 000

The committee recommends an appropriation of $14,000,000 which is $6,000,000 over the House allowance but $6,000,000 less than the budget estimate. The committee recommendation, like the House bill, contains specific provision of $400,000 for the motor vehicle accident compensation study. The increase recommended by the committee includes, as requested by the Department's appeal, the full amount requested in the budget for a new air traffic capacity program. The House bill provided $1,500,000 of a requested $7,200,000. This pro

gram is aimed at longer range solutions to traffic control automation and the acute problem of urban airport capacity.

It is the sense of the committee that the 75 positions previously authorized should not require the augmentation of the full 21 additional positions contemplated by the budget request; the committee believes that five additional positions should be adequate.

CONSOLIDATION OF DEPARTMENTAL HEADQUARTERS

The committee recommends the approval of the $4,520,000 allowed by the House for this item. It is expected that the sum provided will complete the funding for the consolidation.

The January budget requested $6,400,000 for expenses related to the movement of most of the headquarters organizations of the Department of Transportation, except for the Federal Aviation Administration, into a single building in southwest Washington, D.C. This request was withdrawn by an amendment to the budget (House Document No. 91-100) on April 15, 1969. At that time, the Department felt that funds for this purpose would be required before the enactment of the appropriation bill for fiscal year 1970, and on May 12 a supplemental request for fiscal year 1969 was transmitted, requesting $4,634,000. This request was transmitted too late for consideration by the House in connection with the Second Supplemental Appropriation Bill, 1969 (Public Law 91-252) and was transmitted to the Senate. The Senate provided $2 million to cover consolidation costs through December 31, 1969, but the item was deleted in the conference between the House and Senate. No further official budget request has been made.

1969 appropriation.

COAST GUARD
OPERATING EXPENSES

1970 estimate (H. Doc. 91–100). House allowance__.

Committee recommendation_

1 Includes $126,000 for debt reduction.

* Includes $131,370 for debt reduction.

1 $371, 500, 000

2 389, 015, 000 2 386, 000, 000 2 386, 000, 000

The House bill and committee recommendation provide a total of $386 million which is $3,015,000 less than the budget request of $389,015,000. The Department did not request restoration of this reduction since it is based on reduced funding requirements under personnel and expenditure ceilings now in existence and on program slippages due to operation for almost 6 months under continuing resolutions.

The committee was impressed by the testimony developed with regard to the need for additional oil pollution patrolling by the Coast Guard. Present patrolling is necessarily sporadic and, together with inadequate or poorly enforced laws, invites careless or willful spillage of oil, to the detriment of our waters and marine life.

Even with adequate oil pollution laws, surveillance, such as patrolling, would be an essential part of law enforcement. In the absence of adequate laws, surveillance is our first line of defense against oil pollution. It must be strengthened.

At the request of the committee the Coast Guard has developed a 5-year plan for aerial patrols of especially vulnerable areas of the east, gulf, and west coasts on a three-times-a-week basis. The primary purpose of the patrols would be to give adequate attention to the oil pollution problem. The patrols would be in addition to other surveillance activities already carried out by the Coast Guard.

The fiscal 1970 costs of the plan, including procurement of three helicopters, would be almost $8 million. The Coast Guard would require no further authorization for these costs.

In view of the urgent need for stepped up patrolling, and the relatively modest costs involved in the Coast Guard plan, the committee strongly urges the Coast Guard to request these funds at the earliest possible time.

The committee recommends an appropriation of $75,700,000 which is $18,400,000 over the House bill and $1,600,000 under the budget estimate.

The $18,400,000 restoration represents projects included in the budget request and authorized by the legislative committees, but, administratively deferred by executive action at this time. The committee feels that most of the funds for these deferred projects are for required programs and makes this restoration in the belief that even if now in reserve, they would be eligible for release.

The committee recommends an appropriation of $57,750,000, the full amount of the budget request and the House allowance.

This appropriation provides for the retired pay of military personnel of the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Reserves, members of the former lighthouse and lifesaving services, and for payments to survivors pursuant to the retired servicemen's family protection plan.

The committee recommends an appropriation of $26,600,000, the amount of the budget estimate and $700,000 over the House allowance. The committee also recommends that there be stricken from the bill, the House language in the form of a limitation which has the effect of reducing personnel in the selected reserve to 15,000 by June 30, 1970. The current authorized level is 17,500.